WAPELLO, Iowa — In rural, southeastern Iowa, a battle is playing out over a Baird.
Just a few minutes south of Wapello, there's a sudden break from the familiar fields of corn. Roughly 18.5 acres of public land, known as Baird Timber, is full of soaring hickory and oak trees.
While it's currently a popular place for hiking, mushroom foraging, class fieldtrips, hunting and more, the county is now considering selling the land to help pay for new campgrounds at a nearby park.
The Louisa County Conservation Board will vote on whether or not to put the land up for sale during its meeting on March 1. That gathering is open to the public and will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the Louisa County Complex located at 12635 County Road G56 in Wapello.
Community members may also attend the hearing virtually by using this Zoom link. The meeting I.D. will be 890 4596 3632.
There will be time for audience consideration at that meeting.
Louisa County saw its population dip below 11,000 residents after the 2020 census. With that shrinking number comes a shrinking tax base as well. It's why supporters of the sale, including Louisa County Conservation Board Member Josh Hardin, say the money is needed on other projects.
Despite being one of the board's most vocal advocates for the sale, Hardin did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Namely, the board would like to see 22 new campsites added to Virginia Grove, a nearby park. The county already has 11 plots for campers at the location, but would like to expand as well as install a bathhouse with new showers and toilets.
Early estimates from the Louisa County Conservation predict a sale from Baird Timber would net the county roughly $80,000. The county speculates the renovations at Virginia Grove will cost nearly $500,000.
"When we purchased Baird Timber back in 1983, we paid $475 an acre for the property. So it was around $8,700 total," said Katie Hammond, executive director of Louisa County Conservation.
Recently, the county purchased a few dozen acres adjacent to Virginia Grove park, for a staggering $7,500 per acre.
"So you can see the difference in land prices in just 40 years has just absolutely skyrocketed," Hammond said. "We don't know what for sure we would get for Baird Timber, but based on county policy, we would have to open it up to an auction or silent bidding process, so we would have to accept competitive bids for it."
Hammond is pushing for the land to stay public. She often takes hikes in the woods after work and frequently runs into wildlife and fellow community members out enjoying the space.
"I live on five acres, but I don't have the space that I need to rejuvenate and be out in nature," she noted. "And a lot of people that live in cities have even less space for them to roam, so public access is so important."
The conservationist and ecologist is also in favor of the upgrades to Virginia Grove's campground, but wishes the board would consider other avenues of funding for the project.
"We haven't really talked a lot about all the other ways. There's certainly grants available, fundraising opportunities available," Hammond said. "I would really like to see, instead of a one-time cash payment, coming up with an idea that would provide continual payments or money in the future."
And land like Baird Timber isn't widely available.
Data from the National Wilderness Institute shows Iowa ranks second-to-last in publicly available land. Just 1.04% of the state's land is open for recreational use.
"75% of the timber that we've lost in Iowa... we are the most changed state in the United States in terms of land-use change," said Laura Semken, a naturalist with Louisa County Conservation. "If I were a lawyer, I would have a hard time defending getting rid of this."
Semken is also against the sale, saying the land is not only an educational tool and environmental escape for the community, but also an irreplaceable asset to the wildlife population that inhabits it.
"Every leaf on the ground is a home for insects and their eggs. The trees, and thus the insects, form the foundation of our food web that is just critical for everything," she said.
As she spoke to us, she pointed out a fallen log, calling it a "hotel for bugs" and described the entire ecosystem living within it.
"I understand the challenges of trying to figure out budgets and money and all that kind of stuff. But in my heart, absolutely not. There's no way I'd sell," said Semken. "I mean, I'm looking at an oak tree right now that's easily 100 years old. So yeah... it's valuable."
Hammond agreed, hoping the county board reconsiders selling Baird Timber.
"I hope that people look at a timber like this and see it not only for your own personal use, but also for all the wildlife that lives here," Hammond said. "And plants too!"